Novelty gun



N; FRASER.

mm GU82 Filed; Aug; 8,, i959 2; Sheets-Sheet. 11

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N. M. FRASER NOVELTY GUN Filed Aug. 8, 1959 Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NOVELTY GUN Neal M. Fraser, Charleston, W; Va.

Application August 8,

Claims.

5 acteristic soft material, the principal object being to produce a simple and inexpensive,'yet practical, efiicient and safe device of this character anditoattain certain other advantages as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The invention consists in the novel general structure and in the particular parts and combinations and arrangements of parts thereof, as hereinafter described and defined in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a practical adaptation of the invention, in which-- Figure 1 is a general side elevation of the gun with parts broken awayand shown in section to illustrate certain interior arrangements;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view, on an-enlarged scale, in longitudinal section through the gun barrel and associated housing portions, illustrating the projectile'retaining and feeding means in normal position and the projectile impeller in its normal set position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing the projectile retaining and feeding means actuated to one of its positions just prior to the feeding of a projectile to its discharge position near the muzzle end of thegun barrel and the projectile impeller being in engagement with the retaining latchof the trigger mechanism, the parts being shown in full lines in these particular positions, and the projectile retaining and feeding means beingalso illustrated'in its normal position by dotted lines andthe projectile shown also by broken lines in its 'dischargeposition;

Figure 4 "is a cross section taken substantially Jon the line 4-4 in eachof Figuresl and 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary inverted plan view adjacent the muzzle end of the gun;

Figure 6 isa fragmentary longitudinal section through the muzzle endportion of the gun-bar- 5 .rel'on the line-66 of Figures 1 and 4, with the interior thereof in inverted plan to shown the form and arrangement of the spring *element which temporarily retains the projectile in its discharge position;

Figure? is a fragmentary top plan viewillustrating the arrangement of the spring-"pressed closure for the opening in the gun barrel'through whichthe projectilesare inserted into the barrel; and

Figure 8 is a detail view' of the slotted tubular 1939, Serial No. 289,073

hub member on which theprojectile impeller, projectile retaining and feeding means and'ma- .nipulating means: are mounted.

.Referring now-to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the gun barrel which, as far as the present invention is broadly :eoncerned, may be obviously mountedon a conventional shoulder stock, pistol grip type ofhandle or a supporting baseor carriage, depending upon the desired character and use of the gun. As shown in Figure 1, .the barrel ismounted upon a conventional .zshoulder stock 2 Near the breech end of the barrel I an opening 3 is provided, through which a plurality of spherical projectiles tare inserted, one at a time, into the-barrel, said opening being normally closed by a spring-pressed cover 5 which is hingedly mounted at its forward marginal portion on the adjacent top portion of the barrel, as at -6,and provided with an angular finger exten- :sion'! at its rear marginal portion for convenience inopening the cover and also serving as a sighting memberin alinement with a, conventional sighting lug 8 at the muzzle end of the barrel.

Within-the breech portion of the barrel l is a helical spring 9 at the forward end of which a follower disk I0 is located for pressing and moving the proje'ctilesl forwardly in the barrel, said spring abutting at its inner end against an axially aperturedshoulderwall II at the breech end of the barrel and being capable of ample longitudinal expansion to move the remaining rearmost projectile 40f the inserted string thereof forwardly in the barrel toa position near the muzzle end of the barrelwhere -itis arrested by the projectile retaining and feeding element -WhiCh has arrestedeach of the preceding projectiles in turnprior to their discharge successively from the gun, as will be later more fully described.

A flexible wire or cord 12 is threaded through an aperture l3 in the side-portion of the gun where the breech'joins the shoulder stock and thence through the axial opening I4 in the abut-- ment wall II and through the coils of the spring 9, the innerend of the wire or cord l2 being-attached, as at 15, to the follower disk 10. The Wire or cord I2 .is provided at its outer end with a button 16 by whichit is pulled to retract thefollower disk IO'and compress thespring 9 each time a'proje'ctile 4 is inserted in the gun barrel, saidwire or cord, of course, being of ample length to permit the full-longitudinal expansion of the 'springand'travel of thefollower disk H1 in moving the inserted projectiles forwardly in the barrel into engagement with the projectile retaining and feeding element.

Mounted on the under side of the gun barrel near its muzzle end, is a depending narrow housing H, the major portion of which is semicircular, said housing containing the resilient spiral body portion |8 of a projectile impeller having a hammer portion l9, said hammer portion being provided by rebending the outer end of the coil triangularly upon itself to give ample rigidity thereto and provide a substantially radial projectile-striking portion 20, the inner end of the coil being turned diametrically of the coil, as at 2|, and received in diametrically opposed, open- Y ended, longitudinal slots 22 provided therefor in a tubular hub member 23 which is rotatably mounted in alined apertures provided for the purpose in the opposite side walls of the housing II.

It is here noted that the projectile impeller is preferably formed of flat spring metal of considerable strength and ,is given a definite normalset and is form retentive to a certain degree, so that, with its inner end portion 2| engaged as it is in the slotted portions of the hub member 23, the impeller rotates with the hub member in its normal form in either direction until the hammer portion is arrested by a substantial obstruction, whereupon the spiral portion of the impeller moves windingly or unwindingly, as the case may be, if the hub member 23 is forcibly rotated in either direction. 7

Normally, the hammer portion of the projectile impeller extends into the gun barrel through a longitudinal slot 24 which communicates throughout its length with the alined top opening oflthe housing ll, said slot 24 and opening of the housing being of ample length to permit limited forward movement of the hammer portion of the impeller from its normal positionv and also to permit the hammer portion to move rearwardly and downwardly out of the slot and into engagement with a spring-pressed retaining latch member 25 which is slidably mounted in a guide extension 26 of the housing I! parallel with the under side of the gun barrel I, the inner end portion of the latch member 25 projecting normally inward from the adjacent end of the slot 24 (see Figures 2 and 3).

The spiral spring portion l8 of the projectile impeller being much stronger than the spring 21 which is interposed between the outer end of the latch member 25 and the end wall 28 of the guide extension 26, the hammer portion I9 of the impeller, in the counterclockwise rotation of the impeller, viewing it from the side shown in the drawings, engages the inner end of the latch member 25 with cam effect and pushes said member back against the tension of the spring 21- until the hammer portion of the impeller has moved to a plane below the latch member, in which position the hammer portion has been arrested in the rotation of the impeller by coming in contact with the adjacent peripheral wall portion of the housing I1 and is there held by the tension of the spiral spring portion l8 which is partially unwound under the force of the applied operating means-to be presently more fully described in connection with the projectile retaining and feeding means. Thereupon the spring 21 reacts to return the latch member to its normal projected position and in overhanging retentive relation to the hammer portion of the impeller, as shown in Figure "3. In this connection, the latch member 25 is provided with a retracting stem 29 which extends from its outer end through the coils of the spring 21 and an aperture 33 in the end wall 28 of the guide extension 26, said stem also extending through an aperture 3| in a conventional trigger guard 32 which is attached at its forward end to the under side of the gun barrel and at its opposite end to the forward under portion of the shoulder stock 2 (see Figures 1 and 2) and the stem being provided with a finger hook 33 within the trigger guard.

The projectile retaining and feeding means comprises a pair of flat platelike elements 34 respectively located on opposite sides of the housing H in close but slidable relation thereto, said elements 34 being provided with alined apertures whereby they are rotatably mounted on the hub member 23 with freedom of movement independently of said member, except for limited rotative movement together with the hub member by the engagementof a manipulating element to be later described. These platelike elements 34 extend into the gun barrel I through longitudinal slots 35 formed in the adjacent bottom portions of the gun barrel on opposite sides of the housing I'lparallel to the side walls of the housing and also the slot 24 through which the hammer portion of the projectile impeller operates, the slot 24 extending between the points 24 and 24 throughout an ample distance for the Working travel of the hammer portion of the projectile impeller, while the slots 35 are considerably longer between the points35 and 35 because of the greater sweep in the working travel of the platelike elements 34 therethrough (see Figures 2 and 3).

As the pair of elements 34 are alike in form the description of one will suflice. As shown, each element comprises a segmental portion 36 within the gun barrel and has a rounded heel 3'! at its inner end which is disposed as a stop in the path of the string of projectiles 4 in the gun barrel (see Figure 2), the forward end of theof considerable length, which is normally located segmental portion 36 being formed with a roundt lines in Figure B, the shoulder 38 of the larger segmental portion 36 is located a predetermined distance inward from the muzzle end of the barrel I so as to position a projectile 4 between the bottom of the barrel and an overhanging spring element 43 which is sprung out of its normal set position when the projectile is positioned thereunder and reacts to temporarily hold the projectile until it is struck by the hammer portion 20 of the impeller and discharged from the barrel,

as will belater described. In the normal position of the element 34 the smaller segmental portion 42 is outside the barrel I with a straight shoulder 44 opposed to the rounded projectile stop shoulder 4| in contact with the adjacent projected end portion of a transverse stop member 44 provided onthe upper forward peripheral portion of the housing II, in which position the element 34 is held by a lateral lug 45 on a sector portion 46 of the element being engaged by the adjacent leg movement of the operating element 48 the leg portion 41 of isaidelement travels somedistance member 410i a ,yokelike holding and, actuating element -48,'said'element"48 beingfixedly mounted provided with aspring-pressed latch rod 49 which ,is normally engaged 'in an aperture 50 provided therefor in the upper rearlperipheral wall portion ofthe housing l1 (-see Figure 2).

As shown, the yokelike element 48 is provided with a tubular extension 5| housing a spring element52 which is coiled about the rod 49 between the outer end of the extension anda cross pin or collar 53provided on-the rod, the spring constantly urging the rod towardthe housing [1 and lyieldablyhol'ding the .rod in its normal engagement the aperture 50 of the housing wall. The pin or collar 53 normally engages a shoulder at the .inner end of theextension 5| to limit the inwardvmovement-of the rod 49 and the rod is provided withla conventional collar or enlargement 54 at its outer end by which it may be conveniently grasped and retracted against the tension of the spring'52.

At the side of the sector 46 opposite to that on which the lateral lug 45 is provided is a similar lug"55 which is engaged by the leg member 41 of the yokelike element 48 at a time when the latter is swung from its normal position, said lug 55 being spaced at predetermined distance from the lug 45 so that there is considerable travel of the element 48 before thelug 55 is engaged by the leg member 41 of the element, during which travel the projectile impeller is rotated with the hub member '23 so that the hammer portion of the impeller comes in contact with the latch member or at least closely approaches the same prior to movement of the projectile retaining and feeding element 34 from its normal position, the

actuation of the element 34 starting as soon as theleg 41 of the yokelike element 48 engages the lug 55, so that upon continuation of the swinging movement of the element 48 by the hand of the operator the hammer portion of the projectile impeller is snapped under the latch member 25 and against the adjacent peripheral wall portion of the housing l1, .and at the same time the segmental portion 35 of the element 34 is swung rearwardly and downwardly, thereby moving the heel '31 thereof out of the gun barrel and to a plane a considerable distance below the barrel andapproximately coincident with the bottom of the housing lland continuing such actuation of the element 34 until the projectile feeding shoulder 38 is flush with or below the bottom of the gun barrel, whereupon the spring-pressed follower ll! pushes the string of projectiles 4 forwardly in the gun barrel until the outermost projectile is arrested by the stop shoulder 41 of the smaller segmental portion 42 of the element.

The distance between the projectile feeding shoulder 38 and the stop shoulder 4| of the element34 is slightly greater than the diameter of the projectile and the recess is of ample depth so that the endmost projectile 4 is received be- I tween said shoulders 38 and 4| and accommodated in the recess 40 during the transfer of the projectile from the position where it is arrested by the shoulder 4! to the discharge position where the projectile is indicated in broken line near the muzzle end of the gun barrel in Figure-3, such trans-ferbeing effected by the actuation of the element 34 back to its normal position by manually swinging the operating element 48 back to its normal position shown .in full lines in Figure 2 and by dottedlines in Figure. 3. In this return before itre-engages the lug 45 on the sector port-ion'46 of the element 34, during which movement the spiral spring portion of the projectileimpeller is rewound to the same extent to which .it was unwound, or, in other words, restored to its normal set before the projectile retaining and feeding element 34 isrestored to its normal position. After the leg portion 41 of the operating element has rel-engaged the lug 45 the continued movement of the element 48 back:to its normalpositioncauses the element 34 to rotate with the hub member 23 so that the feeding shoulder 38 of said element 34 moves the posi- .initial separation of said two adjacent projectiles and the periphery of the traveling segment 36 holding back the remaining projectile or pro- .jectiles in the string until the heel 31 of the segment reaches its normal projectile retaining position, as shown in full lines in Figure 2.

During the movement of the projectile retaining and feeding element 34 from its normal position thereis a forward movement of the entire string of projectiles in the gun barrel under the pushing effect of the spring-pressed follower l0 until the endmost projectile is arrested by the stop shoulder '41 of the element 34, but during the movement of the element 34 back to its normal position in the transfer of the endmost projectile 4 to its discharge position, the remainder of the string of projectiles moves rearwardly against the pressure of the follower spring 9 until the: heel 31 of-the segment is again disposed in abutting relation to the now endmost projectile of the string, as shown in full lines in Figure 2 and by dotted lines, in Figure 3.

As the hammer portion of the projectile impeller is held by the overhanging end portion of the trigger latch member 25 during the return of the projectile retaining and feeding element 34 to its normal position in the transfer of the projectile to its discharge position the spiral spring portion of the impeller is Wound to a considerable extent beyond its normal set, and upon the retraction of the latch member 25 from engagement with the hammer portion of the projectile impeller by the operator engaging the trigger hook 33 and pulling the rod 29, the wound and tensioned spiral spring portion of the impeller reacts to swing the hammer portion of the impeller forcibly through an arc with sufficient momentum to travelbeyond its normal set position and strike the projectile'in discharge position with sufficient impacting force to discharge and impel it for a considerable distance from the end of the gun barrel.

For simplification and practicability in the assembly and fastening of the several parts which and-in this way'the, projectile impeller ,can be placed within the housing prior to the attachment ofthe housing to the gun barrel and the pair of projectile retaining and feeding elements 34 then placed on opposite sides of the housing with the apertures ofthe housing wall and the elements 34 alined with corresponding apertures provided in the leg portions 41 of the yokelike operating element 48 straddling the elements 34,

fastened to the retaining collar 56 by inserting screws 59 through apertures 60 provided therefor in said collar 56 and into alined screw-threaded apertures provided in said leg portion 41. In this connection, it is noted that in applying the hub member 23 as just above noted, the longitudinal slots 22 of the hub member receive the diametrical inner end portion 2! of the spiral spring portion of the impeller, said end portion 2| being obviously of a length greater than the outside diameter of the hub member so as to be securely keyed in said slotted portions to turn with the hub member without liability of accidental slippage from such engagement. As a conventional means for attachment of the housing I! and its integral extension 26 and carrying the associated other elements as a unit therewith, lugs or extension lips 6| may be provided, one at the end of the housing I! and another at the end of the extension 26 and detachably fastened to the under side of the gun barrel l in any approved manner by means of screws or other fasteners. However, other means of attachment for the unit may be used.

While the herein described structure is a practical embodiment of the invention, particularly in the provision of the spaced pair of the projectile retaining and feeding elements 34 which engage the spherical projectile on opposite sides of its center, together with the impeller working between said elements as it does, and to material advantage, it is obvious that considerable modification may be made in general without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown.

What is claimed is:

1. A novelty gun of the character described, comprising a barrel having a lateral opening adjacent its breech end for the insertion of spherical projectiles into the bore thereof and provided with a releasing retainer for temporarily holding a projectile in discharge position in the bore next adjacent the muzzle end of the barrel, projectile retaining and feeding means operating in and through the adjacent portion of the barrel inwardly from and in cooperative relation to said releasing retainer and normally in projectile retaining position, a retractablespring-pressed follower located in the barrel and operating from the breech end thereof for moving a string of inserted projectiles into engagement with said projectile retaining and feeding means, a projectile impeller mounted contiguous and in cooperative relation to said projectile retaining and feeding means, said impeller having a hammer portion to strike and impel a. projectile in discharge position, the hammer-carrying body portion of said impeller comprising a spring inherently form retentive and having a definite normal set, trigger means including a normally projected springpressed latch member with means for manually retracting said member, and manually operable common operatingmeans for actuating said projectile retaining and feeding means from normal position to receive for transfer the endmost projectile of the string in the gun barrel and at the same time actuating the projectile impeller to retentively engage its hammer portion with the latch member of the trigger mechanism, said operating means in its return to normal position restoring said projectile retaining and feeding means to normal position and thereby effecting the transfer of the received projectile to discharge position in the gun barrel and at the same time distorting the spring portion of the latchengaged projectile impeller from its normal set and placing the same under tension.

2. A novelty gun of the character described, comprising a barrel provided with a releasing retainer in the bore thereof next adjacent its muzzle end for temporarily holding a projectile in discharge position, projectile retaining and feeding means comprising a spaced pair of parallel complemental platelike members rotatably mounted externally of the gun barrel and having like major segmental portions working through longitudinal slots provided in the underside-of the barrel and on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis thereof, said segmental portions each having a feeding shoulder at its forward end positioned normally adjacent said releasing retainer and a rounded heel at its inner end normally disposed as a projectile retainer within the gun barrel, means for inserting spherical projectiles one at a time into the gun barrel adjacent the breech end thereof to provide a'string of projectiles within the barrel, retractable springpressed follower means within the gun barrel, operating from the breech end thereof and acting to move the string of projectiles into engagement with the heel portions of said platelike members 'of the projectile retaining and feeding means,

said platelike members each having a lesser segmental portion provided with a stop shoulder spaced from and in advance of the feeding shoulder of the major segmental portion of the member and normally located outside the gun barrel, a projectile impeller rotatably mounted coaxially with and working cooperatively between said spaced pair of platelike members, said impeller having a hammer portion to strike and impel a projectile in discharge position, the hammercarrying body portion of the impeller comprising a spring inherently form retentive and having a definite normal set, trigger means including a normally projected spring-pressed latch member with means for manually retracting said member, and manually operable common operating means for simultaneously actuating said pair of platelike members of the projectile retaining and feeding means from normal position to receive for transfer the endmost projectile of the string in the gun barrel and at the same time actuating the projectile impeller to retentively engage its hammer portion with the latch member of the trigger mechanism, said operating means in its return to normal position restoring said pair of platelike members of the projectile retaining and feeding mechanism to normal position and thereby effecting the transfer of the received projectile to discharge position in the gun barrel and at the same time distorting the spring portion of: the latch-engaged projectile impeller from .itsinonnal setv and placing the. same under tensions:

3-. Ina novelty gun of the character described and compri'singgavbarrel having provision for inserting spherical projectiles one at; a time intothe. .barrel,adjacent the breech end thereof, with,

internalretractable spring-pressed follower means operatingfrom. the breechend of. the barrel to move a stringoflthe inserted projectiles'forwardly in the barrel, a, releasing retainer, within the barrel and next" adjacentthe muzzle end thereof for temporarily holding a projectile in discharge position, projectile retaining and feeding means comprising a spaced pair of complemental platelike members mounted to rotate freely on a transverse hub member, said hub member being rotatable in its mounting independently of said platelike members and provided with an operating handle element, said handle element having provision for releasably locking it in a definite normal position, said platelike members of the projectile retaining and feeding means having opposed parallel and like major segmental portions extended normally into the gun barrel through longitudinal slots provided therefor in the bottom of the barrel on opposite sides of the longitudinal aXis thereof, the segmental portion of each member being formed with a rounded heel at its inner end for arresting the endmost projectile of the string in the gun barrel and with a projectile feeding shoulder at its forward end located next adjacent said releasing retainer at the muzzle end of the gun barrel, said feeding shoulder being rounded and extending from an acute dividing corner at the periphery of the segmental portion of the platelike member and merging in compound curvature with one end of a recessed portion of the member, the recess merging at its opposite end with a rounded stop shoulder formed on a lesser segmental portion of the member, said feeding shoulder and said stop shoulder being spaced apart a suificient distance to receive a projectile therebetween and the intervening recess being of av width and depth to receive and accommodate therein the projectile in the feeding operation of said projectile retaining and feeding means, each of said platelike members having a like pair of opposed lugs for engagement by opposite sides of said handle element to actuate the platelike members to and from normal position, said lugs being spaced apart and relative to said handle element whereby limited movement of said handle element and rotation of the hub member occurs prior to engagement with and actuation of said platelike members in either direction, trigger means including a normally projected spring-pressed latch member with means for manually retracting said member, and a projectile impeller comprising a spiral spring body inherently form retentive and having a definite normal set, said spring being provided at its outer end with a hammer head normally positioned in the gun barrel between the major segmental portions of said platelike members of the projectile retaining and feeding means and adjacent the feeding shoulders of said segmental portions, the inner end portion of the spring being secured to said hub member whereby to rotate with the latter in either direction and the normal set of the hammer head being such that when the operating handle element is moved in the direction to actuate the platelike members of the projectile retaining and feeding means from normal position said hammer head-i's-moved into retentive engagement withsaid latch memb'er of the trigger means and upon the return of the-operating handle element to normal position-the spring body of the latch-engaged impeller iswindingly: distorted from its norm-a1 set and placed under reactive-'impelling tension.

4. In:a novelty gun of"thecharacterdescribed,- abarrel :provid'ed, near its muzzle end with projectile retaining and feeding means and an associated) projectile impeller in cooperative relation-to a releasing retainer for-temporarily holdingi a projectile positioned 1 in relation thereto by said: retaining and f feeding; means to bestruck and impelled by said impellr the: barrel having an." openingprovided iwith a trap door for J the insertion of spherical projectiles one at a time so as to produce a longitudinal string of the projectiles in the barrel, an internal spring-pressed follower operating from an end wall of the barrel rearward of the projectile-receiving opening and acting to move the string of projectiles forwardly in the barrel into engagement with the projectile retaining and feeding means, and a flexible retracting element attached at one end to said spring-pressed follower and carried outside the gun through a lateral opening.

5. In a novelty gun of the character described, a unitary assembly including a narrow opentopped housing generally semicircular in form and having provision for detachably securing it to the underside of the gun barrel, the barrel having a median longitudinal slot registering with the opening at the top of the housing and also having parallel longitudinal slots on opposite sides of said median slot and adjacent the side Walls of the housing, a tubular hub member extending transversely of the housing and rotatably mounted in alined bearing apertures in the side walls of the housing, said hub member having diametrically opposite open-ended longitudinal slots therein, a projectile impeller located within said housing and comprising a spiral spring inherently form retentive and having a definite normal set, the outer end portion of the spring being provided with a hammer head normally projected into the gun barrel through the median longitudinal slot thereof and the inner end of the spring being inserted with key effect in the slotted portions of the hub member whereby to rotate with said member in either direction, said housing having a guide extension parallel with the underside of the gun barrel, a spring-pressed trigger latch member slidable longitudinally in said guide extension and normally projected into the housing and beyond the inner end of the median longitudinal slot of the gun barrel, a complemental'pair of plate members located on opposite sides of the housing and having alined bearing apertures fitted to rotate freely on said hub member, said plate members having like major eccentric segmental portions extended normally into the gun barrel through the respective outer longitudinal slots thereof, each of said segmental portions having a rounded heel at its inner end and a feeding shoulder at its outer end, said feeding shoulder being opposed to a stop shoulder provided on a lesser segmental portion of the plate member spaced in advance thereof with an intervening recess in the plate member for the reception of a spherical projectile, each of the plate members having a concentric sector adjacent to its axis and outwardly projected lugs at opposite ends of the sector, and a yokelike operating element the leg portions of which straddle the assembled plate members whereby to retain said members on the hub memher, said leg portions being provided with alined circular openings to fit the hub member, the hub member being provided at one end with an annular collar and inserted opposite end first through the alined openings of the several parts in the assemblyand secured in place by a transverse fastener on the inserted end portion, the collar at its opposite end being fastened to the adjacent leg portion of the yokelike operating element and said operating element having means for releasably latching it in its normal position to said'housing, the leg portions of said operating element being movable with limited travel between the lugs on the sector portions of said plate members but alternately engaging said lugs 

